O Jun : MANMANCHAN AN

Catalogue that presents the solo exhibition of the artist O Jun at The Aomori Contemporary Art Centre. MANMANCHAN AN, the exhibition title, is baby talk used in Osaka and other areas of Western Japan when reciting a prayer to the Buddha. But the phrase’s sound and infantile status detach it from its original religious context and render the words almost meaningless. They are juxtaposed against the innocence of childhood and the silly puns of stand-up comedians from yesteryear and become mere sounds whose meaning has dissolved in midair. Sense and nonsense merge midair in the title, as they often do in O JUN’s works. (Publisher's website)